Engagement

How do we keep a player engaged with our game so that they continue to play? Having fun mechanics will only go so far. In a movie the action continues to progress without intervention and if the viewer is interested in the story they will keep watching. But a movie only has to keep for a few hours at most. Games are usually longer than movies and require player interaction to move forward in the game. This moving forward (progression) is what keeps a player engaged. All games have progression even if that is as simple as walking forward into a new environment or moving through a dialogue. Not all progression systems are as engaging as others nor do they make sense for all types of games.

There are two main categories of progression systems. Vertical progression and horizontal progression.

Vertical Progression

Vertical progression has to do with player power. Anything that makes a player more powerful would be a vertical progression system. Common vertical progression systems include leveling up (increasing stats), stronger weapons and gear, and more powerful skills. Vertical progression systems can make players feel like they are much more powerful in the endgame compared to the beginning of the game. It is also possible that a player may feel under-leveled or over-leveled in a game that relies on vertical progression systems. Balance is important to try and negate these feelings.

Horizontal Progression

Horizontal progression are unlocks that increase what a player is able to do in a game without increasing their power. Unlocking new game modes, maps, skins, weapons with different attack styles (but not more powerful). We could call these side-grades. Many Player versus Player (PvP) games are built off of horizontal progression as we don't want one player to be stronger than another just because they picked a more powerful character. Their power should come from the skill in which they play the character. Balance is important to make sure that they are indeed side-grades instead of upgrades.

Skinner Boxes

A Skinner Box, otherwise known as an operant conditioning chamber, is a laboratory apparatus used to study animal behavior within a compressed time frame. The box isolates the subject from the external environment and has a behavior indicator such as a lever or a button. When the animal pushes the button or lever, the box is able to deliver a positive reinforcement of the behavior (such as food) or a punishment (such as noise), or a token conditioner (such as a light) that is correlated with either the positive reinforcement or punishment. 

In games, a Skinner Box is any mechanic that uses random chance to increase engagement or spending of players. If you've ever spent hours and hours grinding for a chance at a rare loot drop, if you've ever spent more money than you wanted on loot boxes hoping for a specific reward, or for that matter, spent too much at a casino, then you've fallen into the engagement trap of a Skinner Box.

Use of random chance in games isn't inherently bad, but when it's used to drive player engagement or spending, it can end up being psychologically manipulative or even abusive. There are significant concerns about the long term effects of these incentive systems, especially in children. These "predatory" practices are quite common in Free-to-Play (F2P) games and are becoming for popular in paid games as well.

As a game designer we should be trying to design a game that is engaging without being addictive.

Flow Theory

Flow theory states that a psychological state of flow occurs when a person's skill and challenge are both above average and match each other. This state is sometimes described as being in the zone, and it can involve intense focus, loss of self-consciousness, and a sense of time passing faster than normal. People in a flow state are often completely immersed in the activity and feel good about what's happening. 

Game designers can use flow theory to create design conditions that manipulate the level of challenge and potential for skill development in a game. The goal is to put players into a flow state and keep them there. For example, designers can include lulls in the game to allow players to recover from intense moments before increasing the challenge again. They can also adapt the challenge as the player's skills improve, which is known as the macroflow. The duration of a macroflow can be the entire game, or it can be as long as the player's long-term goals.

How do we keep players in a flow state?

• Get the difficulty curve right

• Don't make players re-do boring sections (checkpoints)

• Make sure player can focus on the challenge (clear visuals)

• Provide Player with clear feedback 

Let's continue thinking about flow theory as we continue exploring game design concepts. Flow will be a key aspect as we design our games.